Summer 2008, No. 3 - United Methodist Men

Gilbert Hanke, president of the Commissionon United Methodist Men, answers a questionduring a press conference following a celebrationof the 100th anniversary of United MethodistMen at the 2008 General Conference. A UMNSphoto by John C. Goodwin.“Very few men have men they areaccountable with,” Hanke said at the pressconference, “men they can sit down with andsay, ‘These are the things that are hurting me’or ‘These are things I’m rejoicing over.’”Yet most men will say that it’s been theinfluence of another man in leading them intoa spiritual relationship, Hanke added, so UnitedMethodist men should not be hesitant to sharetheir faith journeys.“We demonstrate the gospel very wellwith various work projects,” agreed Adams,“but we need to get better in telling ourstories. Every man can tell what knowingChrist means in their lives.”‘Men need a place in the church’Toward that end, United Methodist Menhas established a Men’s Ministry Specialistsprogram to train men in local congregations inleading effective men’s ministries. In June, theagency will work with churches that sign on asteaching centers to provide regional training.“Men need to have a place in thechurch,” Adams said in the press conference.“Now’s the time. I believe we have theopportunity with this vision to reach all men inour local congregations.”United Methodist Men has also expandedits outreach over the years to include scoutingprograms, hunger-relief efforts through theSociety of Saint Andrew, the Upper RoomPrayer Line, providing a daily devotionalbook for members of the armed forces andmentoring boys through Big Brothers.Dale Long of Dallas has been a bigbrother to six boys over the past 30 years.During the celebration, he invited delegatesto also participate as a mentor in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and introduced his newest littlebrother, 16-year-old LaDaruss Douglas.LaDaruss has autism, pervasivedevelopment disorder and cerebral palsy,according to his mother, Pamela Nwachukwu.On a recent Sunday, LaDaruss spent the daywith Long, who took the teen to HamiltonPark United Methodist Church in Dallas formorning worship. They also went out tobreakfast, attended a Texas Rangers baseballgame and had dinner together.“It’s meant a great deal,” saidNwachukwu, a single mother. “It’s reallyhelped [ LaDaruss] a lot with social skills. I’mreally blessed to have this.”Long said he’d like other UnitedMethodists to “see the value of Big Brothersand how well it works.”“To be a man, our young people have tosee a man,” he said.Russell is managing editorof the United MethodistReporter.United Methodist membership down, constituency upBy Marta W. Aldrich(UMNS)––While professing U.S.membership continues to decline inUMC, the number of constituents issteadily increasing, according to newdenominational statistics.Membership decreased by eighttenthsof a percent over a one-year periodto more than 7.9 million, accordingto the latest statistics released by thedenomination March 11.Specifically, U.S. membership was7,931,733 in 2006, the most recent yearfor which statistics are available, accordingto the General Council on Finance andAdministration, which compiles data forthe denomination.U.S. membership in 2005 was7,995,429.Another 45,220 people were listed asclergy members of the denomination fora total of 7,976,953 in 2006. In addition,871,218 people, primarily children,were listed as baptized, non-professingmembers.Worldwide United Methodist lay andclergy membership, which stood at morethan 11.5 million in 2005, is still beingtallied for 2006 and is expected to bereleased later this year.Meanwhile, the number ofconstituents in 2006 was more than 1.5million, a 16 percent increase from adecade ago. Denominational records showthe number of constituents has increasedthree of the last five years and eight of thelast 10.“Constituents are the unbaptizedchildren, youth and adults who are notmembers of the church, but for whomthe church has pastoral responsibility,”said Scott Brewer, the council’s directorof research. “It’s a growing number, andit reflects that people aren’t so big intomembership anymore.”Brewer said the church “needs to paymore attention” to this growing categoryand understand the changing dynamicsof religious affiliation in the United States.“It’s consistent with what we’re seeingin the larger culture, particularly when itcomes to attitudes toward membership,”he said.Some people aren’t joinersThe Rev. Lovett Weems, the directorof the Lewis Center for Church Leadershipat Wesley Theological Seminary inWashington, D.C., said the constituentnumbers should be prudently considered.“There is certainly a phenomenontoday of persons who seem more reluctantto join,” Weems said. “There are a numberof pastors who talk about people in theircongregations who are very active in thelife of their church, but they just don’tjoin.”He noted that such reluctance isspilling over into groups within the church.Historically, people would be asked to “joina new men’s group” that was forming;today, they might instead be invited toparticipate in a “men’s gathering.” Today’schurchgoers, especially young people, areless likely to “join” and make long-termcommitments, he said, and more likely toparticipate in short-term activities such asVolunteers In Mission trips, the Walk toEmmaus spiritual retreat and short-termBible studies.“There’s been a real energy in thesetypes of things in recent years, even inDisciple Bible Study classes,” Weems said.“Disciple may be 36 weeks long, but atleast there’s a beginning and an end.”However, he noted that theconstituent category is considered a“soft number” that might be overstatedwhen churches report their membershipstatistics. He views average worshipattendance as a more accurate indicator of12 l Summer 2008 l UM MEN UM MEN l Summer 2008 l 13